Teen organizes rescue project

Updated 1:18 am, Friday, March 18, 2011

A lost pet can be a scary experience for any pet owner. But Allie Woodhouse, a 16-year-old sophomore at Churchill High School, has found a way to reunite lost pets in her neighborhood — quickly.

It began three years ago when Allie found two lost St. Bernard dogs in her neighborhood. “We put up fliers and eventually got them back home,” recalls her dad, Rick Woodhouse. “The next thing you know, Allie wanted to help other lost pets get home too.”

So Allie, with the help of her dad, launched a pet registry that now runs on the Hunters Creek home association website. Homeowners can register any pet for free on the site. When a lost pet is found, the neighbors call Allie or her dad, Rick, to check the database and send out a “Fido Alert” to 20 neighborhood team captains who, in turn, e-mail it to other neighbors until they find the owner of the lost pooch or kitty. They even have a microchip scanner, which Rick says, “has been a great help in identifying pets quickly.”

Most Popular

Allie runs the show though and so far has reunited lost dogs and cats (and even a bird) with her neighbors 151 times. “Many times, the pet owner doesn't even know the pet is missing yet,” she says. “They are always happy to know their pet has been found.”

Because people are looking out for each other's pets, they are also looking out more for their own pets too, according to Allie. Neighbors have repaired fences, sterilized their pets, and microchipped their pets.

Allie uses her skills from Churchill's debate team to also deliver presentations to other homeowner's associations and exhibit at special events. She says she has three goals: 1) to help get lost pets reunited with their families; 2) to educate other neighborhoods about how to set up a pet registry; 3) and, to get people to sterilize their pets so that San Antonio can become a no-kill city.

What an awesome teenager! I just have one warning for dad. Now that she is old enough to drive, you may have to expand that pet registry beyond your surrounding neighborhoods. Something tells me Allie won't be satisfied helping lost pets just from her neighborhood anymore.

Allie says she is happy to speak at any homeowner's association meeting about setting up a pet registry. You can reach her or her dad at petfind@hunterscreeksatx.org. To check out Hunters Creek pet registry, visit www.hunterscreeksatx.org.

Purim is a time of joy, feasting and making gifts to charity, according to event coordinator Ruthy Wurzburg. So the Purim Pet Parade will feature lots of food as well as activities like a children's pet parade and pet talent show, a doggie obstacle course demonstration, nail clipping, low-cost microchipping, and even Barkini's paw readings for your pet.

Pet admission is $10, but people who come with their pet are free. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Animal Defense League. For more information, contact Eileen Jalnos at 210-393-3415 Ruthy Wurzburg at 210-365-6754.